Social Worker - Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Location: Kew Gardens
Posted on: May 28, 2023

Job Description:

Summary The NY Harbor VA Healthcare System Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) is located at the Brooklyn and Queens campuses and serves to facilitate implementation of suicide prevention strategies through education, monitoring, and coordination activities. The SPC identifies veterans at risk for suicide, tracks appointments, and coordinates care. The SPC educates providers, veterans, families, and members of the community about risk factors and warning signs for suicide and treatment options. Responsibilities Major Responsibilities Include: Consultation and Coordinator Responsibilities: 1) Tracking all suicide attempts and patients with serious suicide ideation through the suicide assessment and screening tools. Will implement the use of these tools and tracking methodology to be made aware of all attempts and patients with serious ideation. 2) Assure all veterans on the facility tracking list are being followed by the appropriate provider as determined by the coordinator and the provider. 3) Tracking any no-show appointments by these patients and following up with the patient as soon as possible to reschedule the appointment. 4) Disseminating, organizing, and where possible, conducting evidence-based and promising, emerging interventions. 5) Maintaining awareness of suicide treatment options, making recommendations to the patient's provider when new options become available. 6) Obtaining HIPAA clearances to allow transmittal of facility data on suicide attempts and individuals at risk. 7) Assuring that all patients have a 24-hour resource number to call and ways to get assistance if an immediate crisis should occur. 8) Assuring compliance with Joint Commission standards. 9) Coordinating the conduct of regularly scheduled environmental scans on inpatient psychiatric units to identify elements of the architecture or care process that may lead to suicidal behavioral, and follow-up as needed. 10) Establishing an on-going Gatekeeper Training program with non-clinical frontline staff to assure that they are aware of options for patients with whom they come in contact during crisis situations. 11) Working with community resources other community groups to assure that they are aware of how to recognize veterans at risk for suicide and options for getting these veterans assistance. 12) Developing and implementing an ongoing education plan for providers, veterans, families, and members of the community on risk factors and warning signs for suicide, and treatment options. Other Administrative Responsibilities : 1) Assists in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of suicide prevention programming. 2) Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs to effectively coordinate services. 3) Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. 4) Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures. 5) Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings as appropriate to the assignment. 6) Attends monthly Mental Health Service Meetings and complies with program directives. 7) Demonstrates appropriate clinical and administrative knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. Clinical Responsibilities 1) Within the scope of privileges granted, provides a full range of mental health services utilizing appropriate evaluations and structured interviews, generates reports, and provides expert consultation to other disciplines or units providing care oriented to veterans at high risk for suicide. 2) Within the scope of privileges granted, triages and evaluates veterans in the Psychiatric Emergency Room for assessment of safety/urgency, determining appropriate treatment setting, and arranging for treatment as appropriate, including referral to outpatient mental health programs or admission to the inpatient psychiatric or substance abuse units. Will request psychiatric consultation as appropriate. Arranges transfers/admissions/referrals in consultation with the Psychiatric ER attending. 3) Within the scope of privileges granted, provides a full range of patient care interventions, including individual, family, and group therapy, as well as specialized interventions such as behavior management consultations and systems or environmental interventions. When appropriate, uses newly proven or experimental techniques. Presents informed reports or educates multi-disciplinary teams on the use of newly proven or evidence based intervention techniques. 4) Attempts to stay current with assessment and therapy techniques. 5) Demonstrates ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance to staff, Veterans, and outside entities within clinical practice. Supervisory and Program Lead Responsibilities 1) Provides administrative and clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training in support of programs focused on suicide prevention model services. 2) Provides leadership through formal workgroups, consultation, and supervision on program evaluation, research, and quality improvement initiatives. 3) Incumbent demonstrates skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program areas. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education. Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. A valid state driver's license is required. Candidates that do not possess this requirement at the time of appointment will be considered ineligible. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, to qualify for the Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 the below is required. Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below. a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring. (b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program. (c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program. (d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s). (e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Program coordinators at the GS-12 grade level are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area, such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury, Homeless Continuum Veteran Program, Hospice and Palliative Care Program, Suicide Prevention Program, Veterans Justice Outreach, Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program. The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area. The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They may be responsible for the program's budget, developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice, standards and guidelines on documentation, workload, data entry, ethical practice and service delivery. The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. They may be responsible for, or contribute to, the program's resource and fiscal management, monitoring control points developing the annual budget, operating within that budget, and accounting for appropriated funds. The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned staff. They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports, including productivity assessments. They oversee program operations and evaluations, identifying areas for improvement, gathering relevant data, assessing the data, developing and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts. References: VA Handbook 5005/3 Part II Appendix G39, dated 09/10/2019.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12, which is the actual grade at which a candidate will be selected for this position. Physical Requirements: Positions are mostly sedentary in nature. Requires operation of motor vehicle; Mental and emotional stability; Working closely with others; working alone; working protracted or irregular hours. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Keywords: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, New York , Social Worker - Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Healthcare , Kew Gardens, New York